A number of people protesting against the Corrib gas project in Co Mayo have disrupted a speech by Natural Resources Minister Noel Dempsey at a hotel in Dublin today.

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The members of the Shell to Sea group were removed from the Burlington Hotel after interrupting Mr Dempsey while he was addressing representatives of petroleum companies.

The protestors entered the room wielding placards and sounding alarms and one of them - Tadhg McGrath - even managed to get onto the stage before being escorted away by Gardai.

Speaking afterwards, he said he wanted to show that many Irish people were unhappy about the Government allowing multinational oil companies to exploit Ireland's resources and ride roughshod over concerns about the environment and health and safety.

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